Playter Named Virgil Cheek Recipient, 61 Student-Athletes Earn Degrees
May 15, 2009 | General
Graduating baseball standout Chris Playter (Kansas City, Mo.) has been voted the winner of the 55th Annual Virgil Cheek Athletic Achievement Award and headlines a group of 61 Missouri State University student-athletes who are scheduled to receive their degrees at spring commencement ceremonies at JQH Arena on Friday, May 15.
The Virgil Cheek Award has been given annually since 1955 at Missouri State to the graduating senior male student-athlete best demonstrating high qualities in scholarship, character, attendance, leadership and athletic performance. The award is named in honor of the long-time Missouri State faculty athletics representative and business faculty member and selected by the six men’s intercollegiate athletics head coaches.
Playter holds a 3.82 grade point average in communications and will complete the 2009 season as a four-year letterman and two-year starter who is one of just two players to start every game this season for the Bears. He ranks eighth on MSU’s career list for game-winning RBI with 16, and has 10 game-winners this season to rank third on that list. He is a career .282 hitter in 135 games with 77 RBI, 30 extra-base hits and 27 stolen bases. He earned a place on the 2008 MVC Scholar Athlete First Team, earned the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award in 2008, claimed 208 MVC All-Tournament honors, and was named to the 2008 All-MVC Utility Team second squad. He was named to the Sam Houston State Bearkat Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this spring and was recently named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team. He is the first baseball player to earn the Cheek Award since Dan Kneeshaw in 1996. The number of graduating student-athletes matches the second-best total on record at Missouri State, matching the May 2004 class and falling just three shy of the all-time standard of 64 set in May 2006. A total of 57 student-athletes graduated in May 2008. The 2009 spring graduation list includes nine former Bears receiving their Master’s degrees and 17 student-athletes graduating with academic honors, including Playter who will earn magna cum laude distinction. The list also includes graduate degrees being awarded to: Jamie Adams (volleyball and women’s basketball), Adeana McAfee Brewer (volleyball), Ty Davis (football), Samantha Fleeman (softball), Amanda Herbster (softball), Missy Linnens (women’s golf), Tanner Mattson (baseball), Jared Opp (football) and Brian Pasierb (men’s soccer). Baseball, football and women’s soccer lead the programs graduating the most undergraduate students with six apiece, while softball and volleyball will graduate five. Other programs with graduating student-athletes include: field hockey (4), women’s basketball (3), women’s golf (3), men’s soccer (3), men’s track/cross country (3), women’s track/cross country (3), men’s swimming/diving (3), women’s swimming/diving (2), and men’s basketball (1). Former men’s track and field performer Tyler Sanders tops the list of scholastic honor winners with summa cum laude distinction, while eight individuals earned magna cum laude honors, including Playter, women’s soccer players Reaghan Albert and Megan Beebe, swimmers Josh Udermann and Jessica Bennett, track athletes Chavis Clawson and Evan Hegi, and volleyball player Nikki Vandepopulier. Nine others are graduating cum laude. The top five student-athlete graduating classes on record at Missouri State are: May 2006 (64), May 2004 (61), May 2009 (61), May 2005 (59), May 2007 (57), May 2008 (57). The winners of the Andrew J. McDonald Achievement Award also were selected in advance of Friday’s commencement activities. The physical education department faculty annually recognizes the top graduating senior athletics participants majoring in healthy and physical education, and the 2009 recipients of the award are Erica Warfield (Rolla, Mo.) and Wade Marriott (Mountain View, Mo.). The award has been presented annually since 1969 and is named for the long-time Missouri State physical education department head and men’s basketball and golf coach. Warfield is from Rolla, Mo., and participated one season for the Missouri State women’s basketball program (2006-07). She has a 3.86 grade point average. Marriott is from Mountain View, Mo., and was a participant in school sports programs and coaching. He will complete his degree with a 3.47 grade point average. The two remaining awards to be selected for the 2008-09 academic year will be named at the conclusion of all Missouri State athletics competition for the year when the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar Athlete Award and the Missouri State Outstanding Female Athlete Award will be presented. Undergraduate Degrees (52) Baseball (6) - Cory Bishop, Tim Clubb, Brant Combs, Chris Playter**, Sean Toler, Bob Zimmermann Men’s Basketball (1) - Spencer Laurie Women’s Basketball (3) - Tiffany Coppage, Maggie Dwyer, Jennifer Turner Field Hockey (4) - Sandy Fulkerson, Sarah Johnson, Kathleen Reagan, Jessica Schuster* Football (6) - Chris Brehmer*, J.D. Gustafson, Cory Harbor, Seth Reichert, Chris Wash, Roger Wright Women’s Golf (3) - Megan Agey, Mallory Mahon, Lindsey Wellenstein* Men’s Soccer (3) - Kenny Boutsabouabane, Yanik Joseph, Joe Welch Women’s Soccer (6) - Reaghan Albert**, Megan Beebe**, Meghan Cassady*, Lauren Heck, Jackie Jasper, Erica West Softball (5) - Ashley Arbon, Jennifer Carr, Brooke Kempker, Carrie Roberson, Jana Shewmaker* Men’s Swimming/Diving (3) - Ignacio Gayo, Aaron Goertzen*, Josh Udermann** Women’s Swimming/Diving (2) - Jessica Bennett**, Andrea Gerbrand Men’s Track/Cross Country (3) - Chavis Clawson**, Evan Hegi**, Tyler Sanders*** Women’s Track/Cross Country (3) - Courtney Broser, Leander Ernest, Chloe Key Volleyball (5) - Kelly Andress*, Terri Del-Conte, Ashley Kell, Nikki Vandepopulier**, Jami Youmans* Graduate Degrees (9) Baseball (1) - Tanner Mattson Women's Basketball (1) - Jamie Adams (also listed with volleyball) Football (2) - Ty Davis, Jared Opp Women's Golf (1) - Missy Linnens Men's Soccer (1) - Brian Pasierb Softball (2) - Samantha Fleeman, Amanda Herbster Volleyball (1) - Adeana (McAfee) Brewer, Jamie Adams (see also women's basketball) Scholastic Honors * cum laude ** magna cum laude *** summa cum laude Virgil Cheek Award Recipients 1955 Jerry Anderson, basketball-track 1956 Ron Whitaker, football 1957 George Simpson, track 1958 Max Oldham, basketball 1959 Russ Robinson, basketball 1960 Charlie Finley, football-track 1961 Jerry Stockard, basketball 1962 Carl Wilks, basketball 1963 Edsel Matthews, basketball 1964 Rich Johanningmeier, football 1965 Jerry Boyer, football 1966 Dan Young, football 1967 Bill Douglass, football-track 1968 Dennis Scott, football 1969 Danny Cook, baseball 1970 Bill Lamberson, track 1971 Chuck Williams, basketball 1972 Bob Curl, basketball-track 1973 Eric Thompson, basketball 1974 Randy Magers, basketball-baseball 1975 Bob Grana, football 1976 Kent Stringer, football 1977 John Prasuhn, track-cross country 1978 Terry Kasper, football-baseball 1979 Ron Snider, baseball 1980 Mitch Ware, football 1981 Bobby Biser, golf 1982 Mark Daniels, football 1983 Darrin Newbold, football 1984 Anthony Boggs, basketball 1985 Brian Smith, basketball 1986 Phil Schlegel, basketball 1987 Scott Hickox, basketball 1988 Preston Estes, football 1989 Scott Hartwig, football 1990 Chris Stange, basketball 1991 Jeff Eiserman, golf 1992 Tim McDuffey, football 1993 Chad Lakin, baseball 1994 Jim Prendergast, wrestling 1995 Chad Gardner, cross country-track 1996 Dan Kneeshaw, football-baseball 1997 Brad Barnes, soccer 1998 Neal McNamara, tennis 1999 Derek Jensen, football 2000 Brad St. Louis, football 2001 Matt White, football 2002 Jason Ringena, football 2003 Blake Boldon, cross country-track 2004 Rishi Garbharran, tennis 2005 Brad Durham, football 2006 Nathan Platz, soccer 2007 Mike Radon, football 2008 David Tillman, football 2009 Chris Playter, baseball Andrew J. McDonald Achievement Award Recipients Men 1969 Dennis Darnell, football 1970 Gene Garrison, wrestling 1971 Chuck Williams, basketball 1972 Bob Curl, basketball-track 1973 Rod Dishman, baseball 1974 Mike Keltner, basketball 1975 David Oatman, basketball-baseball 1976 Jack Carter, football 1977 Steve Spencer, football 1978 Kelly Walker, football 1979 Tony Armstrong, basketball 1980 Mitch Ware, football 1981 Dennis Whitehouse, wrestling 1982 Mark Daniels, football 1983 Dan Hemenway, swimming 1984 None awarded 1985 Scott Mantooth, track-cross country 1986 Preston Stinger, football 1987 Stacey Burkey, baseball 1988 Roger James, track 1989 Richard Rippee, baseball 1990 Scott DeHart, baseball 1991 Mark Krause, wrestling 1992 Paul Carney, football 1993 Ricky Lowrance, basketball 1994 Marty Marsh, basketball 1995 Sam Wutke, basketball 1996 Ryan Bravo, football 1997 Corey Roy, football 1998 Randy Carpenter, boys’ & girls’ clubs 1999 Ryan Touhey, football 2000 Cory Schroepfer, basketball 2001 Adam O’Hara, school programs 2002 Shawn Widel, school programs 2003 Grant Berendt, school programs